BLS AG has launched a new augmented reality application that enables users to digitally experience the BLS Blümlisalp and Lötschberg steam iron from anywhere. A virtual model of the steamship in 360 degree mode is available to our customers on the “BLS Steamship” app. For this purpose, it is preferable to have the mobile phone aimed at a horizontal surface – eg on a table – on which the steamer is then displayed. The virtual ship “stands” in the middle of the living room. The user can walk around the table or ship and discover them from different points of view.
But different rooms such as the engine room or wheelhouse can also be examined. The user receives more information via different buttons, for example about the functions of the steamers. And thanks to the live map, the mobile user always knows exactly where the ship is on the lake.
BLS developed the app with the virtual reality agency Ateo in Zurich. The development and testing phase took a total of about two years. First, the application was tested by BLS employees, and then interested customers. This enabled developers to take different needs into consideration. Augmented reality stands for “Augmented Reality” and is used, for example, to recognize constellations or mountaintops. With the AR “BLS steamship” application, the BLS applies the principle to its own steamships. The app combines hundred-year-old mechanics with the latest digital technology and lets interested people experience the venerable ships in a playful way.
You can download the application here:
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